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Trauma services

Central Highlands Family Violence-Creative and Therapeutic Services

Western region

Person tying child's shoe

The Central Highlands Family Violence - Creative and Therapeutic Services (FV-CaTS) supports babies, children and adolescents, and their caregivers to recover from family violence.

FV-CaTS partnership

FV-CaTS is a collaborative partnership between:

Eligibility

The FV-CaTS program is available to babies, children, adolescents, women and families that have or are experiencing family violence.

This free service is for victim survivors living in the local government areas of:

  • Ararat
  • Ballarat
  • Golden Plains
  • Hepburn
  • Moorabool
  • The Pyrenees.

Services available

Phone consultations to parents or caregivers of children who have experienced family violence to help them:

  • respond to their children in the present
  • consider the ongoing therapeutic support options for them and their children.

Preliminary sessions with babies, children and young people and their caregiver to help them communicate and adapt during times of change and assess future therapeutic needs.

  • Individual sessions for babies, children and young people with their caregiver.
  • Individual sessions for people aged 15 years and over.

A women’s counselling program is also available, with a focus on diversity and the LGBTIQ+ community who have experienced family violence.

The FV-CaTS partnership includes WRISC’s Van Go Children’s Creative Therapies Program, which is an innovative model of child-centred creative therapeutic services. It includes group therapy for infants, children and adolescents who have experienced family violence.

Restoring Childhood also runs a Peek-A-Boo Club, a facilitated group program for infants and caregivers who have been exposed to family violence. The group helps caregivers respond to their infant’s developmental and attachment needs. It recognises that infants have their own experience of family violence. To learn more about the Peek-A-Boo Club, go to Research Gate: The Peek-A-Boo Club: Group Work for Infants and Mothers Affected by Family Violence.

How to access services

A range of services and programs can refer to FV-CaTS, including:

Professionals and families (self-referrals) can refer to FV-CaTS by contacting:

Email: FV-CaTs@wrisc.org.au

Phone: 03 5333 3666

An intake worker will set up a time to do a pre-referral consult to talk more about the referral.

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